Tecmo's Deception: Invitation to Darkness
'''Tecmo's Deception: Invitation to Darkness', known as Kokumeikan (刻命館, approximately "Engraved Fate Building") in Japan, and as Devil's Deception in Europe, is the first video game in the Deception series, released for PlayStation in 1996. The player controls the Prince of Zemekia, who was falsely framed for killing his father, King Zemeris. In the day of his execution, the prince is saved by unknown forces and is guided to the Castle of the Damned, where Astarte makes him the new Castle Master and he gains dark powers. Premise and Gameplay Deception is an action game with RPG elements, resembling the FMV genre of games, particularly Sega CD such as Night Trap and Double Switch. The primary object of the series is to dispatch intruders through the positioning and activation of traps. What sets Deception apart from the Digital Pictures' predecessors is that moral judgment comes heavily into play. The player takes on the role of an unjustly executed man, who pleads to the devil to spare his life at the moment of his demise. The devil (explicitly referred to as 'Satan' in the manual) grants his request, and gives him command over the 'Castle of the Damned'. Soon after taking control of the castle, many visitors soon find themselves drawn to the fortress: some for power, some for salvation, and some for something as simple as shelter. The player has the option of either destroying the intruders or letting them escape, but both choices carry consequences: for example, the player may choose to either kill their parents, who are out to find a cure for their ailing daughter, or let them escape to inform others of the demonic presence invading the mansion. Additionally, killing intruders is sometimes the only way to proceed and gain more Magic Points (earned by taking the victims' souls) or gold (earned by killing the victims). Gameplay is carried out by a three-dimensional representation of the character, and traps can then be activated and setup within varied rooms of the castle and then created before each respective level. The story will take various paths depending on the choices the player makes. Traps Traps include the Spikes of Pain (three spikes stab an invader), the Square of Confinement (a cage falls from the ceiling, caging an invader), a pit trap, and a magic claw that picks up an invader. All traps can be upgraded to something more powerful than the last. For example, the trap called Stomp causes a giant foot to fall from the floor and can be upgraded to the much stronger Poison Toe, and then to Fire Foot, the strongest trap in the game. The player can also make use of various items and use the cadavers of captured invaders to create monsters. Gallery Kokumeikan cover.jpg|Japanese cover (front & back) Deception cover front.jpg|American cover (front) Deception cover back.jpg|American cover (back) Devil's deception front.JPG|European cover (front) Devil's deception back.jpg|European cover (back) Kokumeikan ost.jpg|Original soundtrack EGM,_May_1997_(-64).jpg|Electronic Gaming Monthly, Issue #64 External links *Kokumeikan official site Category:Video games Category:Deception